The Holocaust Study Tour is an educational tour that motivates and challenges students to rethink one of the most horrific events in history. Traveling through Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland, students make meaningful cultural connections to the people and nations they visit.
Read below to learn more about the trip and it's purpose.
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Sunday, April 6, 2014

Day 2: Berlin

We
began our day at the German History Museum, where Olaf contextualized
the history of nationalism in Germany, which had its origins in 1806
when Napoleon defeated the Germans. During the years 1826-1845, due to
the Industrial Revolution, the German population rose from 23 million
to 32.7 million. Jews and others moved from the country farms
into cities to find factory jobs. Jews, who were educated, literate,
cosmopolitan and engaged in commerce, desired to assimilate into German society.

The Jews loved
German culture for its music, art, and literature. Olaf explained that Germans, such as composer Richard Wagner, held the view that a "true" German was like a tree- a German could only develop from roots that were fully Germanic . He did not believe that famous German
composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy was truly German. Although his father had converted to Christianity from Judiasm and Felix was Christian from birth, his roots were Jewish. For Germans who
shared Wagner's beliefs, even though Jews were granted citizenship in
1871 with the establishment of the constitutional monarchy in Germany,
Jews would never be Germans.

We
spent the next hour in the Otto Weidt Workshop for the Blind. In this
factory, the blind and deaf employees made brooms and brushes out of
horse hair and pig hair for the war effort. Otto Weidt also employed Jews in his factory and used
the Berlin Work Act to legally keep employing his Jewish workers during
the war. Eventually he hid eleven Jews in three hideouts inside the
workshop.

After an outdoor lunch, we walked to the Rosenstrasse Memorial. This site recognizes the
brave Christian women whose Jewish husbands and children were arrested
during the Factory Action in February of 1943, when the Nazis swept
through Berlin in their efforts to make it "Jew Free". These women,
whose husbands and children were being kept in the former Jewish
Community Center on Rosenstrasse, stood outside in an unarmed,
quiet protest, demanding the

release of their families. Despite machine-gun-armed Nazi
efforts to make the protesters go away, they did not give up. Joseph Goebbels, the Minister of
Propaganda decided to release their husbands to prevent a public
relations nightmare and to prevent additional protests.

Enjoying the beautiful sunshine, 70 degree temperature and blooming flowers, we slowly walked to the memorial for the 55,000 Jewish people from Berlin killed during the Holocaust. Located on what Olaf called "the street of tolerance," nicknamed for the proximity of this Jewish landmark to the Lutheran church and Catholic hospital, this memorial stands where formerly a synagogue and Jewish school were located, and next to a cemetary where Jews were buried from 1671 until 1877. We viewed the grave of the famous Moses Mendelssohn, who immigrated to Berlin in the 1740's and is known for extablishing the Jewish school for boys and beginning the assimilation movement at the end of the 18th century.

Outside of the cemetary further down the "street of tolerance,"
Olaf pointed out the memorial "stumbling" stones that are embedded in
the sidewalks throughout Berlin which the students had not noticed before. These stones commemorate the Jews who lived in Berlin, and tell their date of birth, what date and where they were deported, and their fate.

From
here, we went to the New Synagogue, which was opened in 1866. The
architecture resembles the Alhambra in Grenada, Spain, with its Moorish
architecture. The first female rabbi in the world served in this synagogue in the years leading to the Holocaust and was later deported to Terezin and killed at Auschwitz. Bombed in November of 1943, the synagogue laid in ruins until the fall of the Berlin Wall, when it was renovated. Now the gold dome shines in the sun as a landmark of Berlin and houses the Jewish Community Center of Berlin, where the Jewish population consists mainly of Russian and Ukrainian Jews, older Holocaust survivors who were born in Poland, and Israelis.

Student Reflections:
Group 1:

Dana, Nicole, Shane, Trevor and Sarah write:An authentic memorial is impactful because it allows us to step inside the
shoes of real people. Standing inside Otto´s workshop, surrounded by the
same walls as Alice and Inge, enabled us to empathize with the reality of fear
and uncertainty that they lived with every day. Being able to stand where
people stood who didn´t know if they would survive another week was surreal as
none of us have ever had to fear for our lives every hour of every day.

Yesterday, visiting the commemorative Memorial to
the Murdered Jews of Europe, we were at first unsure about how to feel.
We soon realized we could contemplate individually what it meant to each of us.
The rows of stones, called stelae, pushed us to open our minds and think about
all possible interpretations

Group 2:

Kiefer, Jane, Raquel, Matt, and Nick write:

Otto Weidt's
factory for the blind and the Memorial for Murdered European Jews in Berlin's center commemorate the Holocaust and its victims in very different ways.
After visiting numerous memorials and authentic
sites, we felt that Otto Weidt´s factory portrayeda personal
connection to the Holocaust
in a more effective manner. While in the
exhibition, all who visited were quiet and respectful and absorbed the true
meaning of the room. The experience of the hiding place was enhanced by the authenticity of the place and the personal connections we made with the narrative.

Group 3:Tara, Greg, Mackenzie, Gayle and Kyle write:

The Rosenstrasse Memorial deeply affected most of our group members. This memorial was about a group of Christian women in Berlin protesting together to get their Jewish husbands back. The majority of the husbands were returned in the end. These women, held at gunpoint, were doing something brave, and, at any point, they could have died. Yet, they chose to stay, and that courage struck us. In Otto´s factory, our guide explained the story of a man who had hidden Jews and risked his life to provide for others. We were able to connect the small details of everyday life with the actual hardship of hiding.

27 comments:

I've been lucky enough to be part of this experience every year (state side). Although I have learned much from this program and Mrs. T, it never ceases to amaze me in how much I continue to learn through all of your reflections. Thanks again for sharing and enjoy. Mr. P.

The most powerful component of learning is reflection. You would be hard pressed to find a learning experience that will allow you to reflect more than you will on this journey. I look forward to reading and sharing your reflections over the course of your trip.

This compontent of the learning experience helps to bring to light those who were active in aiding persecuted Jews. It is very important to recognize and appreciate non-Jews who rebeled against Nazi Ideology and Hitler's reform. The Rosenstrasse Memorial is undoubtedly an excellent display of undying love, no matter what religious affliation.

Otto's workshop is an incredible experience to observe. The constant fear that these people endured daily, is incomprehensible. This is a foreshadowing of the hands on learning that will encounter in the coming days.

Here, you all can already see how beneficial real life memorials are for everyone. Being inside Otto's factory shows the first example of the many( yet not enough sadly) extremely kind people that risked their lives to save innocent lives. This is only the beginning of what is to come, and you all will see of the many different risky and extreme things people did to save their lives, and of others'. Reflections on what you guys see is very important for the following weeks, and even further down the road, as it creates insightful ideas, and questions. It was great to hear what you all thought of what you have seen so far, and I can't wait to hear the rest.

I remember visiting Otto's Workshop vividly. I reacted the same way that most of you did, reflecting on the fear that was felt by the not only the people being hidden, but the people keeping them safe as well. I think the workshop is a strong reminder that some people were willing to risk everything to do what was right. Similarily, when the wives depicted in the Rosenstrasse Memorial were willing to give their lives to save their husbands. Unfortunately, there was not enough selfless people to help the Jews during this time.

Having the opportunity to learn about Otto Wolf's struggles through the Holocaust teaches you how to respect those who helped this family. The individuals who helped to keep the Wolf family safe truly risked their lives. I'm sure that this learning experience is only the beginning of what is to come. I'm excited to read more of your posts for the next two weeks!

Even though I have never had the chance to go on this trip, knowing that the kids are recognizing the struggles of the Jews and non-Jews amazes me on how they put their own lives at risk for protecting the persecuted. Hope everything is going well so far!

I never been to the holocaust trip but it looks fun going to Germany and learning about the history of many years ago of what happened. the blind and deaf employees made brooms and brushes out of horse hair and pig hair for the war effort.

I am learning so much from reading your blog and reflections each day, here at home, that I can only imagine how much Tara and the other students are learning from actually being there! "From our students, we are taught!" (And from some very special teachers, too!) Thank you! :)

The photos are excellent, and I always feel like you are much closer than you really are! What a fortunate group this year, to be blessed with the first hand accounts they are getting from their guides. The expressions clearly show us how they feel about what they are learning, and we learn from them!

I think its awesome that all of you get to the chance to experience this trip. I think going to another country is an amazing opportunity and I really hope you all get as much as you can out of the trip, not only from the information but from the culture of the country as well.

From my teachers, I have learned much; from my colleagues, I have learned more; from my students, I have learned the most. I love learning with you. It would seem that the empathy gained through these experiences will stay with you forever.

Regarding the 'Jews will never be Germans' comment above, it seemed to contrast greatly with the Wolf family introduction. "They were very much assimilated into mainstream culture...Otto attended a middle school there, as did Felicitas, who...went on to attend a technical design school. Meanwhile, Kurt was studying medicine at a nearby university."Also, Otto runs into numerous people while he and his family are in hiding—all of whom he knows by name. Though this is probably largely due to the nature of small towns, it still proves Otto was assimilated deeply into the culture and life of his hometown.